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Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan Hybrid

1144 messages,  Last post on Apr 19, 2012 at 4:15 AM

You are in the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan Hybrid Forum.

What is this discussion about? Ford Fusion Hybrid, Mercury Milan Hybrid, Hybrid Cars, Sedan

Messages Page 29 of 115

#278 of 1144 USA Today reviewer RAVES about it by larsb

Feb 06, 2009 (1:46 pm)

How about "The 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid is the best gasoline-electric hybrid yet" as praise?
 
Fusion drives better. A car is, after all, a driving machine.
 
OK, let's just get it out there: The 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid is the best gasoline-electric hybrid yet.
 
What makes it best is a top-drawer blend of an already very good midsize sedan with the industry's smoothest, best-integrated gas-electric power system. It's so well-done that you have to look to the $107,000 Lexus LS 600h hybrid to come close.
 
Fusion's $28,000 starting price is more or less in reach, the driving feel is good, and the interior has a premium look and feel.
 
There are three facets to consider in evaluating a gasoline-electric hybrid: the underlying vehicle itself, the hybrid system and the mileage.
 
Assuming the preproduction Fusion hybrid test car was representative — Ford says it was — the Fusion's scores in those three categories are good, great and adequate, but potentially, very good.
 
The Toyota Prius crowd will protest. Prius is lower-priced, has about the same room inside, has a handy hatchback configuration, gets better mileage — and most of those attributes could improve when the 2010 Prius goes on sale in a few months — so how could Fusion be the best hybrid?
 
Simple. Fusion drives better. A car is, after all, a driving machine. Brownie points for saving somewhat more fuel or offering a cargo-friendly hatchback, but driving feel is most important.
 
And there, Fusion is without equal among hybrids.

#279 of 1144 Re: Buying a hybrid [bigt] by akirby

Feb 06, 2009 (2:02 pm)

Replying to: bigt (Feb 06, 2009 12:57 pm)
Pre-ordering doesn't guarantee anything. The price is still up to you and the dealer. I don't expect dealers to be asking more than MSRP but who knows.
 
If you want to be one of the first to own one, you may have to pay MSRP. Or wait and see if the price drops - maybe it will, maybe it won't. It's a crap shoot. Personally I think enough people will want one not because of the hybrid label but just because they want a fusion and it happens to be the most fuel efficient model. As opposed to Prius buyers who are either looking for the hybrid label or seeking maximum fuel economy.

#280 of 1144 Re: Hybrid available by late February? [kdhspyder] by akirby

Feb 06, 2009 (2:17 pm)

Replying to: kdhspyder (Feb 06, 2009 1:37 pm)
The Prius sales declined because they directed sales away from the US as the currency got weaker. They produced and sold just as many in 2008 as they did in 2007, they just didn't ship as many to the US.
 
Wow - are you dizzy from all that spinning? Sales were down, so they shipped less. Not the other way around.

#281 of 1144 Re: Hybrid available by late February? [WyattNichols] by WyattNichols

Feb 06, 2009 (3:10 pm)

Replying to: WyattNichols (Feb 04, 2009 5:58 pm)
Update:
 
Went back to the Ford dealer today to see a model with the same paint and interior as the one pre-ordered. The dealer said he has been given 2/16/09 as the ETA for the first FFH. I got the impression, he wasn't very optimistic about that date.
 
That sounds much sooner than Ford news releases indicate. If the ETA is that close, then the cars should be leaving the factory (in Mexico??) soon.
 
  I hope not!!

#282 of 1144 Re: Hybrid available by late February? [akirby] by kdhspyder

Feb 06, 2009 (3:26 pm)

Replying to: akirby (Feb 06, 2009 2:17 pm)
Did you forget what happened in April through Sept when there were none anywhere in NA? During those months they could have sold twice as much as what they did sell but they didn't ship them here. Instead of meeting the demand in NA they kept the vehicles at home or sent them to Europe where there were better returns. In fact in 2nd and 3rd Qtrs when the entire continent was sold out sales were still down. That wasn't from lack of demand that was from lack of supply.
 
Absolutely in 4th Qtr sales were down because the entire industry was down, no question there. That wasn't particular to hybrids or to any one model but rather to the entire industry. But in 2nd and 3rd Qtrs they gave up a huge amount of sales because they couldn't meet the demand...or chose not to supply the demand.

#283 of 1144 Re: Hybrid available by late February? [WyattNichols] by WyattNichols

Feb 06, 2009 (3:54 pm)

Replying to: WyattNichols (Feb 06, 2009 3:10 pm)
A few minutes ago, I heard a story on NPR about the government's mandate to buy more energy efficient cars, many of which will be hybrids. Where will they get enough cars to meet the demand? Will it increase the costs of hybrids? Will the dealers charge more than the MRSP?
 
Even though there might be tax credits for buying certain cars, or other tax credits coming out of the stimulus package, a decrease in the supply of fuel efficient cars because the government is buying them, will be a tax on the ones of us who want to buy similar cars.
 
Am I reading this right?

#284 of 1144 Re: Hybrid available by late February? [WyattNichols] by texases

Feb 06, 2009 (4:02 pm)

Replying to: WyattNichols (Feb 06, 2009 3:54 pm)
I think you're exactly right. When the tax credits were available for the Prius, that amount often seemed to get added to the price. Dealers often benefitted the most.

#285 of 1144 Re: Hybrid available by late February? [texases] by kdhspyder

Feb 06, 2009 (4:49 pm)

Replying to: texases (Feb 06, 2009 4:02 pm)
The full tax credit for the FFH and MMH will be available through 3-31. After that the credit is cut in half to about $1700 through 9-30.
 
As to what the dealers charge... that depends. Some will likely charge significant addendums of as much as $2000 to $5000. And with only limited supply and rave reviews there will be buyers at those inflated prices. That's exactly why the practice occurs. Supply is matched with demand via the pricing mechanism.
 
For those who won't or can't pay full MSRP plus addendum, they will patiently wait until the price falls into an acceptable range. Again supply and demand.

#286 of 1144 Re: Hybrid available by late February? [kdhspyder] by gagrice

Feb 06, 2009 (8:47 pm)

Replying to: kdhspyder (Feb 06, 2009 4:49 pm)
I like to think of it as the PT Barnum Syndrome. That and the inherent knee jerk reaction Americans have toward the price of gas. No wonder the US is in such financial trouble. I don't think they will build enough of the FFH to satisfy the gotta have it first crowd. That means the end of the year before supply catches demand. Depending on the battery situation. I know here in San Diego that Drew Ford was holding at MSRP on their Escape hybrids in November. You could get top of the line V6 for $10k less. The 2009 Fusion has a $3500 rebate according to this website. I'm guessing close to $10k extra to get the hybrid WITHOUT the AWD option.

#287 of 1144 Re: Hybrid available by late February? [gagrice] by coldcranker

Feb 07, 2009 (10:15 am)

Replying to: gagrice (Feb 06, 2009 8:47 pm)
One things for sure, with the CAFE fleet average MPG standards on the way up (35 MPG by 2020, and considering 31.6 by 2015, up from 27 now), Ford would love to start selling more and more hybrids (Ford Fusion Hybrids and Escape Hybrids) to free up their other vehicles in the fleet to get much lower MPG. If gas prices stay below $2.50 per gallon over the next 10 years, hybrids might be the silver bullet to meet the CAFE standards. If gas prices soar again above that, then consumers will want more non-hybrid models getting better MPG, spreading the high-MPG tech to non-hybrids. High gas prices could reverse the current (at least at Ford) trends in engineering offices where non-hybrids don't get enough fuel efficiency innovations while hybrids are concentrated on.

Messages Page 29 of 115

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